What boat makes sense

[haha49]

Well I tried this before and got some answers. I have a few more and it's hard to find the right boat.

I want something I can take out and go places on the BC coast. I want to travel from Vancouver to the tip of Alaska and back while in the boat. I want something that is powered that can make the trip I get that you have to stop for fuel that's not a big deal. I want something that is good on fuel and has a decent range I'm not worried about speed just enough to get through active pass as the currents can be very strong in that area. I wanted a none sail boat due to the amount of room and the fact it's allot simpler to run a power boat. Less work getting into the water less work out of the water and less work while using it. I want something that I can haul out of the water when I'm done using it for the day but something I can live in for a long period of time. I don't like super big boats as they take a super amount of fuel to run them I like simple function and reasonable mileage which is why I'm fine with a slow boat. I could always haul extra gas tanks on the back deck of the boat so I was wondering if anyone has traveled the BC coastline in a powered boat. I like powered boats because they don't have a keel under them and can enter way more areas. I like smaller boats something up to 28 ft is what I'm looking for. Alunium boats would be better since you can simply beach them and were I launch it's just gravel rocks on the beach which is why I would rather not have a fiberglass boat. I want to simply drive down the road dump it in the water put it on the beach drive back to my home (not far) walk back then go on a trip. I'm only 1 person and I'm fine with lack of space. I looked at the ranger tugs and they seem to be the best fit but I can't find out any information on the range of the boat per tank fill up. I want to get a general idea so it makes planning out routes and finding gas stations on the way much simpler. I want to be able to haul it out of the water my self as it makes sense to take it out when not in use saves 400 per month just by not having it in the marina and launching in the area is very easy just no dock. I don't like the bouncying of the rough water at speed I like going slow over the chop it's allot less painful for me to go slow as I have a spinal injury that causes pain if you go fast in a boat and hit a wave. (It's like being stabbed each time you bounce over them) So slow and steady is the best way to go for me.

[Kokanee]

There are plenty of options for 25-28 ft power cruisers. They are often referred to as "Pocket Trawlers". I don't know of any production builders offering an aluminium hull though. All are fibreglass, but you may find a custom built aluminium or steel boat.

You would need to decide whether you are happy with a full displacement hull (about 6 knots top speed, 25-40 hp, very economical) or a semi-displacement hull (max. up to 12 knots, 150hp, not so economical above 6 knots)

I'd suggest looking at the following boats: C-Dory; Ranger R25, Nimble Nomad, Albin 25, Saga 27, Vashon Trawler.
Have fun.

[FamilyVan]

I agree with kokanees comments. It would be nice to get something with a little in board diesel rather than gas if you can. I did I quick Google search, it looks to be about 500 nm from Vancouver to Prince Rupert. That's too far to go without refueling, but you acknowledged that in your op.

A boat I looked at recently was a Nimble. They're a pilot house job so you're out of the weather and you can get them with a Yanmar inboard diesel. I would think they're range would be fantastic. If you can get q little bus heater for the diesel then you'll be warm too.

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[ranger58sb]

Maybe look at C-Dory, Ranger Tugs, Rosborough, Nimble, brands like that.


-Chris

[NewMoon]

Other trailerable choices include Sea Sport 24, and 26/27. The 26/27's had diesel options.

Our 26' Bounty is roughly similar, with a Volvo KAD44 diesel. Heavily and quality built, and well equipped for long cruises (we've been all over the BC coast and SE Alaska many times). 6500 hours on her so far. On step at 18 knots she gets 1.75 nmpg, at our now typical cruising speed of 6 knots she gets 4-4.5 nmpg. With 110 gal of diesel, we can easily do 300-350 nm between fuel stops.

Eaglecraft in Campbell River makes aluminum 28-footers, many with diesel.

[basssears]

Can't speak to power boats in general but can speak to the Nimble brand... we have a Nimble 20 sailboat and I have been very pleased with it... construction quality seems good, easy to work on, very attractive (all in the eye of the beholder of course) to the point that it's a little challenging to get past all the questions on the dock, and at least for our little centerboarder a remarkably stable and competent boat for its size.

-- Bass

[Dave22q]

I assume you have enough truck to haul a 25-28' boat. that is the first thing I would check.

[CarlF]

The first answer for the OP is that nothing about owning a boat "makes sense" - although smaller boats probably make slightly less "doesn't make sense" than bigger boats. I own a 55ft boat so I know

Since you are new to this, you should understand that the miles per gallon depend a lot on your speed. Up to "hull speed" which is approximately 1.3 * length of waterline ^ .5 (1.34 times the square root of the length of the waterline) boats get pretty good gas mileage (2-5 miles per gallon depending on a lot of factors). Above this speed the miles per gallon gets MUCH worse.

a 20ft boat has a hull speed of approximately 1.34*20^.5 = 6 knots. The 1100ft USS Enterprise's hull speed is 45 knots (but since its nuclear powered miles per gallon doesn't apply).

So called "displacement hulls" can't go faster than hull speed no matter how much engine you put in. Planing hulls (sometimes called "semi-displacement") also get good mileage up to their hull speed but then rise partly out of the water above hull speed and can go fast - but only at a huge fuel penalty.

Of course this is much more than you wanted to know. Welcome to boating.

[FamilyVan]

what these big boat guys always forget to mention with this formula is the fractional exponent means this formula is non linear in nature. So the 55 foot waterline is proportionately slower than a 25 foot water line. So a 25 foot waterline has a hull speed of 6.7, a 55 waterline has a hull speed of is only 9.9 knots.

You see that? More than twice as long but less than twice as fast? The returns on this formula are diminishing, good argument for a smaller boat? I think so.

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[Stu Jackson]

I don't live in Canada, but my f-i-l does, and there are four or five marinas near his house. In the 20 years I've been visiting him there, I've seen hundreds of boats that will meet your criteria. Some have been mentioned here, and there are, most likely, others. You might want to consider visiting a few marinas and looking around. Usually, the manufacturer of the boat is displayed outside. You need to do some more homework, since, with all due sincerity and good wishes, this forum section is more sailboats than powerboats. And you're not really describing a live-aboard, but rather a boat you want to take you places for a week or two or a month or two. The trawler forum might help. I would also Google "Canadian powerboats aluminum hulls." IIRC, Ranger tugs are fiberglass.

Happy hunting.

[haha49]

Originally Posted by FamilyVan

I agree with kokanees comments. It would be nice to get something with a little in board diesel rather than gas if you can. I did I quick Google search, it looks to be about 500 nm from Vancouver to Prince Rupert. That's too far to go without refueling, but you acknowledged that in your op.

A boat I looked at recently was a Nimble. They're a pilot house job so you're out of the weather and you can get them with a Yanmar inboard diesel. I would think they're range would be fantastic. If you can get q little bus heater for the diesel then you'll be warm too.

Sent from my XP7700 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

The question simply becomes were are the gas stations in between I know there are a few most have a 100 gallons per day limit on fuel. On pender it's 1.45 for gas on the island gas station it's 1.34 and in Victoria it's 1.20 at the gas station/marina it's 1.06. So depending were you fill up it can cost allot more for fuel which isn't a big deal you just have to gas station hop and find out which islands have a station to fill up at.

[haha49]

Originally Posted by Stu Jackson

I don't live in Canada, but my f-i-l does, and there are four or five marinas near his house. In the 20 years I've been visiting him there, I've seen hundreds of boats that will meet your criteria. Some have been mentioned here, and there are, most likely, others. You might want to consider visiting a few marinas and looking around. Usually, the manufacturer of the boat is displayed outside. You need to do some more homework, since, with all due sincerity and good wishes, this forum section is more sailboats than powerboats. And you're not really describing a live-aboard, but rather a boat you want to take you places for a week or two or a month or two. The trawler forum might help. I would also Google "Canadian powerboats aluminum hulls." IIRC, Ranger tugs are fiberglass.

Happy hunting.

They're all planning hulls. Silverstreak, hewescraft, thunderjet. I find most custom shops want a bigger boat simply because the cost between them isn't much once you go custom.

The problem with the sail boat is I can't do the sailing part it's simply to hard and painful to do. You also lose allot of space with sail boat. So my question would be has anyone sailed from seattle to Alaska and how much did they use the motor. I find most sailboats around here use the engine way more then the sail. See I plan on using it for several months at a time not short trips so it sort of becomes like a home just happens to be a second home. I'm fine if I have to stop in town more often because I don't have the space to bring lots of food and water and I'm fine with that. I just want to get out and go places and live on it for extended periods of time and when I get tired of it or need to go back and make more money to keep going I can simply return then go back out.

[haha49]

Originally Posted by Dave22q

I assume you have enough truck to haul a 25-28' boat. that is the first thing I would check.

pick the boat buy the truck second. I only need to pull it out of the water go up a gravel road/hill it's less then 1 mile. It's the same thing with campers pick the camper then pick the truck. Your talking 1-2 blocks of travel so it doesn't even have to be that reliable of a truck. Just 4 wheel drive with a locking rear axle and the tow rating I'm not going to haul it at highway speeds.

[valhalla360]

I'm not sure if they are on the west coast but smaller marinettes without the flybridge might be an aluminum option if you can find one. We had friends with a 32 and we had a 31 silverton of similar vintage and they got almost twice the MPG.

The downside of aluminum is they are light so they bounce around more and can be noisy at night as the hull acts as a sounding board. Also, they aren't indestructable. Running a big boat up on a rocky shore and you can still punch a hole in the bottom.

If $400/month slip fee is scaring you away, I suspect the price on the trailerable trawlers will scare you even more. Nice boats but not cheap.

Also don't assume a power boat won't have a keel. Our silverton had an 8" keel for most of it's length and it was nice when tooling along at slow speed as the boat tracked very nicely. Our friends Marientte with basically a flat bottom wandered a lot at slow speed.

I know you've expressed a desire to avoid fiberglass but realistically, it's what most people have gravitated to as the best combination of pros and cons.

[NewMoon]

Originally Posted by haha49

The question simply becomes were are the gas stations in between I know there are a few most have a 100 gallons per day limit on fuel. On pender it's 1.45 for gas on the island gas station it's 1.34 and in Victoria it's 1.20 at the gas station/marina it's 1.06. So depending were you fill up it can cost allot more for fuel which isn't a big deal you just have to gas station hop and find out which islands have a station to fill up at.

Here's some info on fuel stops I put together a few years ago:

Inside Passage – Distance between fuel stops 2/15/2010

Longest distance between fuel stops:

We've wandered pretty much all over the Inside Passage in BC and SE Alaska, in all sorts of different directions. Sitka, Elfin Cove, Glacier Bay, Juneau, Haines, Skagway, and most points south of there.

Distances are from tested routes in my chartplotter. They're in Nautical Miles. To convert NM to statute miles, multiply by 1.15.

You can get to most places you'd want to go in a small boat if you can COMFORTABLY (with a good reserve to handle weather changes etc) go 140 nautical miles on a tank. If you have 200-300 NM range you have a lot more flexibility in your routes, but I don't think there's anywhere much more than 140 NM from a fuel stop. Many are a lot closer together than that.

One place which would take significantly longer range to get to is the fancy glaciers up at the end of the Tracy Arm, the entrance of which (assume at Tracy Arm Cove, the anchorage just inside Holkham Bay) is about 55 NM south from downtown Juneau, or 70 NM from Auke Bay. The run up to the glaciers from Tracy Arm Cove is 26 NM each way. So you'd need about 160-190 NM range, depending on where you start and end up.

Some of the other longest runs between fuel stops:

Petersburg-Juneau (downtown): 120 NM

Petersburg-Sitka: 153 NM, but you could stop for fuel at Angoon (some days) or Tenakee Springs (by going out of your way)

Auke Bay-Sitka (via Peril Strait): 131 NM

Hoonah-Sitka (via Peril Strait): 126NM

Glacier Bay, Bartlett Cove-Margerie Glacier and back: minimum about 130 NM, depending on where you anchor overnight.

Shearwater-Prince Rupert: 170-180 NM, but you could stop for fuel at Klemtu or Hartley Bay.



9/29/2011 – Fuel Stops on the Inside Passage


There are lots of fuel docks in the San Juans, Gulf Islands, and along the BC mainland on the east side of the Strait of Georgia. There's fuel at Campbell River and a few other places in the Desolation Sound area. North of there fuel docks are further apart.

There are fuel stops on the west side of Vancouver Island, but I'm not current on that area.

We've been cruising mostly SE Alaska the last few summers, so may not be current on BC fuel dock changes - I've heard that some have closed down rather than upgrade facilities as required. The Waggoner Guide may be a good source of more current BC info. But, here are some we know of:

Broughtons and Queen Charlotte Strait:


Lagoon Cove
Pierre's at Echo Bay
Port McNeill
Sullivan Bay
Port Hardy


BC North Coast:


Duncanby Landing
Dawson's Landing
Bella Bella
Shearwater
Bella Coola
Klemtu
Hartley Bay
Kitimat
Prince Rupert


SE Alaska:

Ketchikan
Thorne Bay
Wrangell
Petersburg
Kake
Point Baker
Angoon (M-F, I think)
Tenakee Springs
Sitka
Craig
Juneau
Hoonah
Bartlett Cove (Glacier Bay)
Elfin Cove
Pelican
Haines
Skagway


Not positive, but I believe most if not all of these have both gas and diesel.